The Republic of the Union of Myanmar is a country in South-East Asia with a total area of 676,578 km2 and a population of 54.33 million. Around 70% of its population is settled in rural areas the remaining 30% is settled in urban areas. Naypyidaw is the capital and Burmese is the official language.

Myanmar’s economy is less developed compared to other countries in the region and is primarily dependent on agriculture either directly or indirectly such as transporting, processing, marketing, and exporting agricultural goods.

With approximately 47%of Myanmar covered by forests and mangrove swamps biomass proves to be a promising natural energy resource. The hydropower potential is estimated to be more than 100,000 megawatts (MW) in terms of installed capacity. As of March 2019, the total installed capacity was 5,402 MW with hydropower being the major share of 59.6 %.

Myanmar has a strong solar radiation level, reaching more than 6.5 kWh/m2 and collecting up to 1.9 MWh annually on a square meter, and 60% of the land area appears suitable for photovoltaics. Due to its mountainous terrain and protected areas, Myanmar’s maximum solar power potential is estimated at about 40 terawatt-hours per year. The solar energy potential drops during the rainy season but compensates for the decline of power production from hydropower and wind sources during the dry season.

However, despite having good resources the country’s energy sector has been underdeveloped due to a lack of financial and technical capacity and currently, around 53% of population does not have access to modern sources of electricity. In late 2015, Myanmar’s Government approved its National Electrification Plan (NEP) which aspires to achieve universal electricity by 2030 by means of a sector-wide approach involving:

• Grid extension

• Pre-electrification in rural areas prior to the arrival of the national grid

• Permanent mini-grid and off-grid connections in remote areas

One of the first large-scale solar power plants of 20 MW capacity was commissioned in August 2019 in the Minbu township and another 20 MW of Minbu Solar Power Plant is expected to come online by the end of September 2019. Other existing projects include off-grid options such as Solar Home Systems (SHS), which have reached 2,700 villages in 95 townships, benefiting nearly 140,000 households. A further 186 schools and 524 health centers have access to electricity, and eight pilot hybrid-solar mini-grids were delivered in 2017.